Continuous belt feed for film packaging machine



CONTINUOUS BELT FEED FOR FILM PACKAGING MACHINE Filed Feb. 17, 1967 March 24, 1970 R. c. UMHOLTZ ETAL 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 INVENTOR. R. c. UMHOLTZ D. E. PERRY AT TORNEI S TIMER 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 INVENTORS R. C. UMHOLTZ D. E. PERRY ATTORNEYS MHUE CONTINUOUS BELT FEED FOR FILM PACKAGING MACHINE March 24, 1970 Filed Feb. 17. 1967 United States Patent 3,501,887 CONTINUOUS BELT FEED FOR FILM PACKAGING MACHINE Robert C. Umholtz and Daniel E. Perry, Bartlesville,

Okla, assignors to Phillips Petroleum Company, a corporation of Delaware Filed Feb. 17, 1967, Ser. No. 616,851 Int. Cl. B65b 1/32, 35/44, 9/06 US. Cl. 53-28 9 Claims ABSTRACT OF THE DISCLOSURE The invention provides a feeding method and apparatus for an electically actuated folded-film type packaging machine, which utilizes a time-delay electric circuit including an actuating switch positioned in the packaging or filling area of the machine enclosed by the film and a relay for actuating the machine circuit; a pendulous tongue within the packaging area, the oscillation of which actuates said switch; and a horizontal conveyor, preferably a pair of upright continuous belts forming a V, positioned to throw items to be packaged into said packaging area against the lower end of said tongue so as to oscillate same and effect a delayed actuation of the machine circuit.

This invention relates to a method and apparatus for feeding items to be packaged to a conventional filmtype packing machine. The type of machine to which the invention is applicable is illustrated in Patents 3,083,513 and 3,209,513. Machines of this type are available from Mehl Company of Cincinnati, Ohio. The operation and maintenance of the Mehl machines is described in the service manual MA-12 and MA120.

The apparatus of the invention is designed to be attached to and/or operated adjacent the feeder side of the packaging machine which utilizes folded plastic film, the edges of which are held open in a packaging or filling area of the machine, and which is clamped together along the open edges and transversely across the film with heat sealing means to form the botom of an upper package and the top of a lower package while sealing the edges to complete the closed package. The instant apparatus literally throws the items to be packaged into the packaging or filling area of the machine against a pendulous tongue which operates a switch in a time delay circuit containing a relay associated with the main operating circuit of the packaging machine so as to start the packaging operation of the machine in a time range of 0.2 to 2 seconds after the items strike the tongue actuator to provide time for the thrown items to drop to the bottom of the partially formed package.

A preferred conveyor for throwing the items to be packaged into the packaging area comprises a pair of endless belts arranged in the form of an upright V and positioned in alignment with the tongue in the packaging area. This V-type conveyor accurately directs the flight of the items against the tongue at sufficient speed to actuate the switch with which the upper end of the tongue comes into contact. The continuous belts are set at an angle in the range of about 45 to 60 in the V formed by the belts. Generally, the belt speed is maintained in the range of about 250 to 450 feet per minute.

The instant feeder feeds any type of item singly or groups of identical or dissimilar items commonly packaged in film packaging machines. It is an excellent feeder for feeding irregularly shaped elongated vegetables, such as carrots, but it has also been uitilzed successfully in packaging wrenches, bolts, elongated plastic tubes, and similar mechanical items. Items are delivered to the con- "ice veyor by any suitable means or method. One device used successfully with the feeder comprises an exact-weight scale which is provided with a hopper for receiving items such as carrots from a conveyor or other delivery means while maintaining a continuous weight on the delivered items until a given weight has accumulated in the hopper. To illustrate, in packaging carrots, the scale is set to weigh a minimum of a pound and when the hopper has received this minimum, the device trips the bottom of the hopper, dropping the minimum pound of carrots into the V-type conveyor which throws them into the packagingmachine against the actuator tongue to initiate the operation of the packaging machine. The machine then completes packaging while the hopper or exact-weight device is receiving another minimum pound of carrots for repetition of the feeding and packaging operation.

A more complete understanding of the invention may be had by reference to the accompanying schematic drawings of which FIGURE 1 is a pictorial view of the apparatus of the invention as applied to a conventional film packaging machine; FIGURE 2 is an elevation in partial section taken on the line 2-2 of FIGURE 1 showing the continuous belt feeder and drive arrangement therefor; FIGURE 3 is an elevation of the pendulous tongue housing and tongue which functions as a portion of the film guide; FIGURE 4 is an elevation showing the flow of film around the tongue housing and auxiliary film guide assembly and the film sealing mechanism; and FIG- URE 5 is a diagram of the electric time-delay circuit in relation to the starting switch on the packaging machine.

Referring to FIGURE 1, the feeder apparatus 10 comprises a framework 12 which supports an exact-weight feeding device 14 including a hopper 16 having a hinged door 18 actuated by the weighing mechanism of the feeding device. This exact-weight feeding device is a commercial item and its specific structure is not a part of the invention. Such an item may be obtained from the Exact- Weight Scale Company as Model 610NW-D.M.M.C. Also supported within the frame 12 is the conveyor belt assembly 20 including driving roller 22 operating on spindle 24 to which is afiixed a V-pulley 26. A variable speed motor 28 drives V-pulley 26 by means of a V-pulley 30 on the motor shaft 31 and a V-belt 32. Driven roller 34 is geared to roller 22 as shown and discussed in connection with FIGURE 2. Idler rollers 36 at the opposite ends of belts 38 and 40 supported from anchor block 42 similar to anchor block 44 for rollers 22 and 34 complete the conveyor assembly.

The feeding apparatus 10 is connected with and/ or extends into packaging machine 46 which feeds film 48 from a supply roll (not shown) over a feed roller 50' forming a nip with an idler roller 52 and operated by a rack 54 and pinion 55, the rack being connected with the piston of a fluid cylinder 56 arranged to feed a selected length of film through the packaging area of the machine. The machine 46 includes a frame 58 supporting a table 60 through which the film 48 passes and from which reciprocable sealing and cutting means 62 is mounted. A frame member 64 is common to frame 58 of the packaging machine and also to the feeder apparatus to which it is attached by suitable means such as bolts, clamps, etc. (not shown) to hold the feeder in proper alignment with the packaging machine.

A film guide assembly 66 comprises an inverted L- shaped member 68housing tongue 70 and guide plates 72. The assembly 66 is supported from frame crossmember 74 by plates 76 attached thereto and extending toward the packaging machine for support of uprights 78 to which plates 72 are attached. A support bar 80 attached to crossmember 74 extends into inverted L-shaped member 68 and is welded or otherwise rigidly attached thereto. Member 68 serves as a guide for the film and also as a housing for tongue 70 which is pivoted at 82 and for microswitch 84 shown in FIGURE 3. Leads 86 are in the microswitch circuit and connect with the time-delay relay circuit shown in FIGURE 5.

A backstop 88 is supported from frame 12 of the feeder apparatus and extends into the packaging or filling are-a opposite the lower end of tongue 70 and just below the line of flight of the thrown items. Stop 88- is inside the vertical line of the open edges of the film so as to receive any items bouncing off tongue 70 and cause them to fall into the bottom of the packaging area away from the edges to be sealed in sealing assembly 62.

Referring to FIGURE 2, beveled gears 90 and 92 provide for the driving of belts 38 and 40 at the same rate, receiving power from motor shaft 31 through pulleys 26 and 30 and belt 32. The beveled gears are supported in conventional manner on supporting block or housing 44.

FIGURE 3 shows the L-shaped housing and guide member 68 which is formed of a generally U-shaped channel material such as aluminum or other metal or plastic. Tongue 70 is fabricated of metal but other materials may be substituted therefor. Support bar 80 connects with the feeder apparatus as illustrated in FIG URE 1.

In FIGURE 4, the function of film guide assembly 66 is seen more clearly. The loose edges of film 48 separate below roll 50, the sides of the film being separated and held apart by the member 68 and guide plates 72 to provide a packaging area designated 94. The sides of the film are brought together at the bottom of the packaging area and reciprocable sealing assembly 62 simultaneously forms a horizontal seal having a width equal to the horizontal sealing bars 96, cuts the seal with knife edge 98, and forms a vertical seal along the raw edges of the film between vertical sealing bars 100. A reciprocating device 102 is utilized to operate the sealing bars on a time sequence with the packaging operation;

At start-up of the packaging machine, film is moved into position as shown and, after allowing about a 15- minute heat-up period, the bottom of the film is sealed between bars 96. The feeder is then fed the items to be packaged as described above and the items are thrown into the packaging area against the lower end of tongue 70 so that in the delayed time sequence the. packaging machine is actuated so that another length of film is fed into the packaging area and the carrots 104 are lowered one package length and sealing assembly 62 then operates to form the seal along the open edges of the package and, also, a horizontal seal which forms the seal on the top of the filled bag and the bottom of the next bag in filling position with the cut made by knife 98 to sever the sealed package from the film above, leaving the bottom seal on the next package length. Reciprocating device 102 is a conventional deviceshown in the above-identified patents and needs no further description.

Referring to FIGURE 5, the starting switch 110 of the packaging machine is operated by a relay 112 in the time-delay circuit shown. When the items fed into the packaging machine by the feeder device strike the actuating tongue 70, microswitch 84 (which is normally open) is closed and relay 116 is actuated, since the current from power source 118 can pass through line 120 to the relay and back through line 122 and switch 84 to the power source or vice versa. Acutation of relay 116 closes normally open switch 124 which completes a latching circuit through relay 116 as normally open microswitch 84 opens. Relay 116 also closes normally open switch 126 which passes current through line 128, line 130, switch 126, and line 132 through timer 134 to ground. Timer 134 effects a time delay in the range of about 0.2 to 2 seconds, at the end of which period it closes normally open switch 136, thereby passing current to relay 112 through line 138 to start the packaging machine by closing switch 110. At the end of the time delay controlled by timer 134, the timer also opens normally closed switch 140 .which breaks the latching circuit of relay 124 so as to return all switches to their normal position and prepare the time-delay circuit for another closing of microswitch 84 to repeat the process and start the packaging machine on another cycle of moving the film one bag length and sealing the filled bag.

The feeder device described, when utilized with a standard film packaging machine of the character described in the aforesaid patents, provides a combination which automatically packages items, particularly elongated items, as long as the items are supplied to the feeder apparatus.

Certain modifications of the invention will become apparent to those skilled in the art and the illustrative details disclosed are not to be construed as imposing unnecessary limitations on the invention.

We claim:

1. Apparatus for feeding items to be packaged to an electrically actuated folded-film type packaging machine provided with an open-film packaging area, comprising in combination:

(a) a time-delay electric circuit including an actuating switch positioned within the packaging area of said machine and a relay for actuating said machine;

(b) a horizontal infeed conveyor;

(0) actuating means for said actuating switch comprising an upright tongue pivoted intermediate its ends and positioned in said packaging area facing said conveyor so that movement of the lower end of said tongue away from said conveyor forces the upper end of said tongue into actuating engagement with said switch; and

(d) said horizontal conveyor being positioned so as to throw items to be packaged into said packaging area against the lower end of the tongue, said electric circuit being associated with said machine so as to start the packaging operation of said machine at an interval of time after said items strike said tongue to provide time for said items to drop to the bottom of said packaging area.

2. The apparatus of claim 1 wherein said conveyor comprises a pair of cooperating continuous flat belts operating on rolls set to form an upright V.

3. The apparatus of claim 2 wherein said rolls are fixed to axial spindles and driven by a variable speed motor operating one of said spindles which is provided with a beveled gear meshing with a second beveled gear on the adjacent spindle of the other belt.

4. The apparatus of claim 1 including deep in said packaging area adjacent the fold of said film an inverted L-shaped housing for said switch and said actuating tongue, the foot of said L pointing toward the film opening and the foot and vertical arm of said L having a U-shaped transverse cross-section, the opposite sides of the U-shaped foot and arm forming film-guiding surfaces, and said tongue being pivoted in said vertical arm.

5. The apparatus of claim 2 including means for feeding items to said conveyor.

6. The apparatus of claim 2 including an exact-weight scale provided with a dumping hopper positioned directly over said conveyor.

7. The apparatus of claim 4 including as auxiliary filmguiding means a pair of upright spaced-apart parallel plates, opposite plates being substantially in alignment with opposite sides of said U-shaped L and extending out of said packaging area from adjacent the leg of said housing, and a stop plate in said packaging area just inside the open edges of said film below the line of flight of said items into the packaging area for keeping items inside of the edge-sealing area.

8. A method of feeding items to and actuating a foldedfilm type packaging machine having means for sequentially moving a length of film through a film enclosed packaging area in which the edges of said film are held open and then through a sealing area, the sequence being actuatable by closing an electric circuit on said machine, which method comprises the steps of (1) throwing items to be packaged substantially horizontally into said packaging area against the lower end of an upright pendulous tongue adjacent the back of the packaging area so as to oscillate said tongue;

(2) utilizing movement of said tongue to actuate a switch in a time-delay electric circuit to energize same; and

(3) actuating the circuit of said machine with the energized time delay circuit at an interval of time after said items strike said tongue to provide time for said items to drop to the bottom of said packaging area.

9. The method of claim 8 wherein the time-delay of said time delay circuit is in the range of 0.2 to 2 seconds and the items are thrown against said tongue at a rate in the range of 250 to 450 feet per minute.

References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS TRAVIS S. McGEHEE, Primary Examiner E. F. DESMOND, Assistant Examiner US. Cl. X.R. 5374, 182 

